Two great goals from Joao Pedro helped Chelsea beat Napoli 3-2 and advance to the Round of 16 of the Champions League in sixth place.
The Blues were in a precarious position heading into the final, remaining in the top eight on goal difference as they hoped to avoid two extra games in the knock-out play-offs.
Chelsea got off to a perfect start, despite being awarded an early penalty. Juan Jesus was penalized for handballing a Blues free-kick, which was converted by Enzo Fernandes despite Napoli’s protests.
But the setback seemed to energize Napoli.
They began to overwhelm Chelsea in search of an equalizer, which unsurprisingly happened after just 30 minutes. Hometown boy Antonio Vergara looked like Maradona when he charged into the penalty area and spun Wesley Fofana home.
And just before the break, Manchester United loanee Rasmus Højlund beat Napoli to victory, firing home past Fofana.
Enzo Fernandes celebrates after scoring a penalty to give Chelsea the lead against Napoli
Chelsea fielded a back three against Napoli, with Liam Rosenior looking to play against 3-4-3 master Antonio Conte in his own game.
But by half-time it was clear those tactics weren’t working. Cole Palmer was introduced on the break, but there was no change in form and Paul Merson of Sky Sports said it was “not a good move”.
“It’s not the substitutions, it’s the system that they should have changed,” he added in the soccer special.
Antonio Vergara celebrates after scoring the equalizer between Napoli and Chelsea
In the end, with the introduction of Jamie Gittens and Trevor Chalobah in the 59th minute, Chelsea finally returned to their back four and the Blues equalized just minutes later.
This was the first of two great goals for Pedro, who flew the ball around a defender and smashed the ball home from the top of the area.
Rasmus Hojlund celebrates giving Napoli a 2-1 lead against Chelsea
Since then, Chelsea have looked much more comfortable, winning with eight minutes of normal playing time. It was another clinical finish from Pedro, finishing low and below Meret, but the goalkeeper could only watch as the ball rolled past his outstretched, weak legs.
It was the Blues’ first away win in the Champions League this season, finishing with 16 points ahead of Sporting and Manchester City.
Chelsea will not play in Europe again until March, and will face either Qarabag, Monaco, Newcastle or PSG in the round of 16.
But for Napoli, losing in the league would be a disaster for their European trip.
After an entire season marred by injuries, it was shocking to see the Serie A champions finish 30th out of 36 teams.
Rosenior admits he had to ‘fix’ set-up in Napoli win
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior told TNT Sports: “I thought the character of the players, their resilience in the second half, the reaction from behind was very positive. They have everything I’m looking for.”
“We wanted to be aggressive in the first half. We had some moments with our wing-backs in the opposition half, but at the same time we were too far apart. We made adjustments at half-time and made personnel changes.
“Joao Pedro scored some great goals with his great performance. He has given me that since I came to the club. Overall, we have advanced and we are pleased.”
“The team hasn’t won here for a long time, so it’s great to see the players turn it around and show some character.
“I’m always learning about my team, about our team’s abilities, about what we need to tweak and adapt to our team. But today I really wanted to go out in front. I wanted to go and win the game, which was very important.”
“In the end, I was successful, but in a different way than I expected.
“I have good players. I have a group and I trust them. The subs are always the players who make the difference in big games.”
On not having to play a final playoff game: “Due to the schedule, it meant playing, recovering, preparing for games, and competing again, so being able to work with the guys on the practice field is really big.
“So it’s great to actually work with the players on the training pitch and get them to understand what we as a staff want to do with them.
“I can run them and get them healthier and that will be good.
“We have to enjoy these moments, but we want to enjoy them more and we have some big games coming up, starting with Saturday against West Ham.
“We’re playing in the Champions League, so to win this competition we have to beat the best players. No matter who we play, we’ll give our best. I’m just happy that we got through like this.”
Rosenior deserves credit for correcting his tactical mistakes at Napoli
Joe Schred of Sky Sports:
Liam Rosenior regularly switched between three-man and four-man defenses at Strasbourg, and his tactical versatility was on display at Napoli.
Reece James, who is listed as a centre-back on the team sheet, has raised some eyebrows, especially considering he has to contend with taller Rasmus Hjølund and Scott McTominay charging into the box.
In the end, James was fine in the air, but Rosenior’s decision to fit into Napoli’s back three (the set-up he introduced for the first time since his appointment) backfired.
Chelsea may have taken the lead, but they struggled to escape Napoli’s press and were frequently penetrated down the left flank as Marc Cucurella and Pedro Neto struggled to adapt to their new roles, allowing Napoli to take the lead going into half-time.
Sky Sports’ Paul Merson said: “Chelsea tried to counter Napoli but it didn’t work. They needed to play[Trevor]Chalobah or[Benoît]Badiacire at centre-half, move back into the number four and put[Cole]Palmer in the number 10.”
With the team headed for the playoffs, Rosenior was back to square one. Within 14 minutes of the second half, Palmer and Chalobah were brought on, with James moving back to the right flank and Chelsea shifting possession back to their back four.
Two minutes later, Pedro scored the equalizer. By full-time he had scored again and Chelsea progressed to the last 16, giving Rosenior perhaps the biggest victory of his managerial career to date.
“We fixed it. We made some personnel changes,” Rosenior said. It’s fair to wonder why Rosenior decided a game of this magnitude was the right time to try out a system unfamiliar to this team. Charova was supposed to start. Wesley Fofana and Neto’s malaise has been exposed. The results should not have been unexpected.
However, the head coach deserves credit for admitting his mistake and giving his team a way to dig out of the hole.
“I’m always learning,” he said. The lessons learned from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium will be valuable, especially with Paris Saint-Germain likely to qualify for the last 16.
How will the Champions League knockout matches fit into Chelsea’s schedule?
Saturday 31st January – West Ham (h), Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports Tuesday 3rd February – Arsenal (a), Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports Saturday 7th February – Wolves (a), Premier League, 3pm, live on Sky Sports Tuesday 10th February – Leeds (h), Premier League, 7.30pm Friday 13th February – Hull (a), FA Cup, 7.45pm Saturday 21 February – Burnley (h), Premier League, 3.00pm Sunday 1 March – Arsenal (a), Premier League, 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports Wednesday 4 March – Aston Villa (a), Premier League, 7.30pm March 10/11 – Champions League Round 16 First Leg Saturday 14 March – Newcastle (h), Premier League, 5:30pm, live on Sky Sports Sports March 17/18 – Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg Saturday, March 21 – Everton (a), Premier League, 5:30pm, live on Sky Sports
